The White Years: Earth and Thunder
by Running For Anothers Dream
Summary: Down, down, down and under, that's where the cure has been hidden. To get there though, to find it, Fluttershy will be forced to go against everything that she has ever been taught, and to risk losing all that she has ever dreamt of having. Only by following the footsteps of Earth and Thunder can things be set right again - but that path may just be too rough for anyone.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Alright, everyone! This is a complete AU, which will explain itself as the chapters go on. All that you need to know at the start is that it does not follow the time-line of the series at all.

I really, really hope that you all enjoy reading this and don't mind leaving your feedback!

* * *

_"Fluttershy! Fluttershy!"_

The voice echoes down the hall and through the young mare's open door, into her bedroom. Her ears flick towards the sound and, for the briefest of moments, she debates on answering it.

Silver Slippers is a nice mare, after all, and it certainly isn't her fault that Fluttershy has formal business to attend. In fact, on most days, they are on rather good terms - she is one of her more leniant bedmares, to be certain.

Today is not most days though, and Fluttershy finds herself sinking down lower, shuffling closer to the open window. A warm breeze drifts through, sings to her, tells her the tale of laughing foals and bustling streets and ponies with places to go and choices to make, greets her with the vigor and friendlyness that few others do.

"_Fluttershy!_"

The voice is more impatiant this time, and the sound of hooves on marble floor can be heard. Fluttershy sticks her head out as far as it can go, relishing in the scent of honeysuckle, in the song of the birds, in the small taste of _outside_.

It's there and over all too fast, because suddenly Silver Slippers is clearing her throat right behind her and there is no way that Fluttershy can pretend not to hear it.

"Fluttershy, there you are! I cannot believe that you're still here and not dressed even," scolds Silver Slippers, clucking her tongue.

Fluttershy pulls away from the window and dips her head in apology. "I'm sorry, Silver Slippers. I was looking outside and lost track of time."

The wrong words, and Fluttershy knows that the moment they leave her mouth. Silver Slippers pale purple eyes go wide with panic, and she brushes past the young princess, near franticly slams the window shut. "Outside? Child, what are you thinking! You know what your mother has told you!"

Fluttershy's head cannot droop any lower, her ears cannot bury any further in her pink mane. Of course she knows her mother's rules. Fluttershy knows them very well, as they have been repeated over and over and over, until they echoe near permantly in her mind, until she cannot ever forget them because that voice is stern and those eyes are sharp and Terra always just seems so very disappointed with her.

"I know. I'm really very sorry," says Fluttershy softly. She scuffs one hoof against the stone ground and peers up at the silver mare with wide eyes.

Silver Slipper is too busy drawing the heavy, golden curtains to look at her. "I know that you like listening to the birds, but your mother has made it very clear that this window is to stay _closed_."

Fluttershy gives a soft sigh but doesn't say anything else. Just waits while Silver Slippers fusses over getting the curtains just right and then, when the older mare deems it fit, lets herself be guided out of the bedroom and into an adjoining dressing room.

It's done up much the same as her bedroom, much the same as the rest of the castle. Stone floors and white walls and rich wooden furniture, with intricate carvings and polished knobs. A red curtain divides the room and Fluttershy is ushered to the other side of it.

"Honestly, the risks that you take are almost worse than your sister's! At least Luna has the sense to stay indoors," chides Silver Slippers, hooves clacking as she trots through the room and back again.

Fluttershy bites on her lower lip but doesn't speak. She hates being compared to Luna and Celestia. They are nothing alike and certainly aren't held to the same standards. Luna, she is given more freedom then any of them and Celestia more training and Fluttershy is just left to pick up where her elder sisters leave off.

The curtain parts and Silver Slippers trots in, armed with a dress of flowing spring fabric and scissors and pins. "And Celestia is always on time for her dresses. You really could learn from them, you know."

-x-x-x-

Fluttershy is left in her room, clad in a gown that is too stiff and too binding. Her hair has been braided with ribbons and small, white flowers, and she knows that she is a pretty sight. Stallions tell her that often enough, and even a few mares have made comments - jealous and snarling and full of hate, as they peer at her from behind lace fans.

She gives a soft sigh, drags her hoof over the marble floor. "Oh, this is going to be such a long day."

"You're telling me," comes a rough voice, and Fluttershy jumps and spins around, all wide eyes and flowing fabric. Even that small, sharp motion nearly pops stitches from around her waist.

The panic vanishes almost instantly, because it is not a stranger there, but Rainbow Dash. Her normal garb of silver and gleaming metal has vanished, replaced instead with rich blue fabric and golden snaps. Rainbow locks have been gathered into a bun, held in place with a golden hoop.

Fluttershy smiles.

Her personal guard does not.

-x-x-x-

Fluttershy has known Rainbow Dash for a long time. Longer than any other guard, then any other servant, then any of her nurse maids. It has been three years

seven months

three weeks

and two days, exactly. Fluttershy knows this because she has kept close track, always eager to add another number to that date. It makes her feel a little better, to know that there is at least one pony that her mother's eccentricities have yet to drive away.

It makes her feel almost as though she has finally found a friend.

-x-x-x-

"You look beautiful," breaths Fluttershy, light blue eyes taking in the form of her eldest sister, looking over each stitch and curl and braid.

Where Fluttershy is a pretty thing to look at, Celestia is an attractive thing to even just be near. She stands with her head high and her shoulders back, regal and determined, as though nothing could ever surprise her or throw her off. Garbed in white satin and with her crown nestled among pastel hair, it is an even harder sight to look away from.

"As do you, Fluttershy." Celestia smiles, and it is as though the sun has grown a touch brighter. "And Rainbow Dash - such a pleasure to see you in fine clothes."

Beside Fluttershy, the guard huffs. "An honor to have been invited, Princess."

A lie, and Fluttershy knows it - the pegasus would rather be anywhere else in Canterlot right then.

A lie, and Rainbow Dash knows it - can barely keep the disdain from her voice, keep her dislike of Celestia from showing through,

A lie, and Celestia knows it - but doesn't call the younger mare out on it, because there are more important things to do and other things to address.

Celestia's gaze lingers on Rainbow Dash for only a moment, and then Fluttershy is in her sights once more. "Has mother spoken to you yet?"

"No?" answers Fluttershy, hesitantly.

The white unicorn gives a low hum and nods. Without saying anything else, she leaves the room. Fluttershy cannot help but think that there will be more to this coronation than is originally expected.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Alright, everyone! This is the second chapter, and I hope that you all enjoy it!

* * *

The ballroom doesn't take long to fill up, as ponies of all ages and type filter in. Each one is garbed in bright colors and soft fabric, with powdered faces and done-up manes, as though it has been held in their honor and not Celestia's. They walk as though the spotlight is on them and them alone, and Rainbow Dash has to try hard not to snort.

It's ridiculous, the way that they act. As though they are oh so important, even though most live off of old money rather than work to support themselves, to support their family. Like the world would quit turning if they were ever to vanish.

Rainbow Dash gives the floor an impatient paw, frowns as a stallion passes by her charge and his gaze lingers just a little too long, means just a little too much. None the wiser, Fluttershy continues to watch her sister from her spot on the ground, forced to look up at the stage as though she's a common mare and not a princess.

That bothers Rainbow Dash too, though she isn't really sure why it does. Doesn't say anything on the matter, because it doesn't seem to bother Fluttershy much anyways.

"She looks so happy," whispers Fluttershy, giving Celestia a soft smile that isn't returned.

"Of course she is," grumbles Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes. "This whole thing is about her, isn't it?"

Fluttershy nods, doesn't seem to notice her guards irritation - which just makes the pegasus even more aggravated, because they don't need another self-centered mare as a leader!

"Her and mother both," says Fluttershy. The young pegasus princess moves forward, flitting through the crowd in an attempt to get closer to the stage, and Rainbow Dash is given no choice but to follow her.

She feels awkward in this dress, like her movements are being halted. Each step is a bit harder to take then it normally is, and she knows that she will never get off the ground with such a flowing skirt.

Rainbow Dash is trapped on the earth, and that thought hits just a little closer to home than it should.

-x-x-x-

Even though Rainbow Dash doesn't respect the queen very much, there is no way around the fact that she is an imposing figure. Her coat is the color of the earth which she rules over and her mane is of the deepest greens, held back by a crown of thorns and roses and gleaming emeralds.

Something about the look in her eyes makes one listen to her, even more so in these recent years, as both her gaze and her heart has begun to harden.

Most are not around her enough to notice it, but Rainbow Dash has. The way that Terra's posture has grown stiffer, her voice her harsher, her concerns less about the lands outside of Canterlot and more on herself, on her two eldest daughters.

She has noticed and, standing there at the base of the stage, Fluttershy on one side and a nameless stallion on the other, Rainbow Dash sees it again.

"Equestrians. It is a pleasure to see how many have taken up my invitation to attend this evening," says Terra, and her voice is that of a rumbling brook, smooth and flowing. "Today, I havee something very important to tell you all. But first, the reason that you have all come here!"

Terra holds her head up high and spins around to face her eldest daughter. Celestia mimics her mother - and maybe, thinks Rainbow Dash, maybe that is why so few like her. Celestia is far too close to her mother, their thoughts far too similiar.

Luna and Fluttershy, at least, are each their own ponies. A little more rebellious, a little more withdrawn, but nothing at all like their mother, who always looks at Celestia with such pride in her forest green eyes.

"We live in a time of relative peace, so my duties as Bearer are not needed as often as they once were," begins Terra, voice echoing through the room. "It will not always be that way though and, as much as I hate to admit it, I will not always be there to protect you."

The white specks that have begun to form along the alicorn's muzzle are proof enough of that fact. She may have a much, much longer lifespan than a normal pony, but Terra is far from being immortal.

The Queen's gaze is on the crowd before her again. "Eventually, my time as your queen will be a thing of the distant past - and when that happens, it will be Celestia who will guide you!"

Celestia steps forward, head held high, and the crowd errupts into a cheer.

Rainbow Dash doesn't joint it. Neither, she realizes, does Fluttershy.

-x-x-x-

The Coronation Ceremony is, simply put, boring. Rainbow Dash is forced to stand there and listen as Terra praises her eldest daughter; ignoring Luna, who stands at her side, and Fluttershy, who stands beneath her, half hidden by the excited crowd of blueblooded ponies.

Eventually, Terra casts a spell and Rainbow Dash is only vaguely aware of the bright light that surrounds Celestia, her attention instead on a young unicorn mare that stands on the far side of the room, watching with wide eyes and a piece of red string caught up in the end of her tail.

Now, Rainbow Dash doesn't know much about the upper-class and doesn't care to learn about them. It's her job to notice things though and, in that moment, in that simple piece of strings, she sees a mare that isn't of the right class for being in that ballroom.

Rainbow Dash flicks Fluttershy on the shoulder with the tip of her tail. "Stay here."

The pegasus filly blinks, turns wide eyes onto the guard. "What? Is everything okay, Rainbow Dash?"

"Just stay put," grunts the guard, already forcing her way through the tightly packed throng of ponies.

Someones ribbon clad wind comes close to smacking her in the face. A hoof comes down on the hem of her skirt. Shoulders bump into her and nasty looks are cast her way and, by the time that Rainbow Dash makes it to the outskirts of the group, she is far past ready to challenge someone.

Even if that someone is just a suspicious looking mare with a far too white coat. A large magnolia blossom has been fixed into her purple mane and a red ribbon around her neck.

"You there!" calls Rainbow Dash, making a beeline towards the mare.

She holds herself like she belongs there, head up and mouth pursed. "Excuse me?"

"Who are you?" demands Rainbow Dash.

The mare snorts, turns her head away. "Oh, darling, you cannot be speaking to me like that."

"Really? Because I'm speaking to someone, and there isn't anyone else over here," snaps Rainbow Dash, and this wouldn't be an issue if she were in her actual uniform. Ponies respected the armor of a pegasus guard, even in these days of peace that Terra speaks so highly of.

The mare looks absolutely aghast and even a touch upset. "Honestly now, have you no manners?"

"Me? That's rich, lady. Talking about manners when you're in here, crashing Celestia's coronation!" Rainbow Dash, snorts, resists the urge to look over her shoulder when a gasp rings out and the whispering starts. Like no one was expecting Celestia to leave here an alicorn.

The mare's gaze flicks from Rainbow Dash to the stage and then back again. Purple eyes show the slightest hint of panic and a lot of surprise. "Why I would never! The things that you're accusing me of are beyond preposturous!"

Rainbow Dash has her mouth open, ready with a sharp come back to end the arguement, when a sharp word from the Queen quiets her, and the rest of the whispering room.

_Silence!_

Terra has that look in her eye again, where she is not quite herself but also not quite a different mare. Hard and stern and a touch reproachful, and Rainbow Dash's stomach flips and twists and turns.

Something bad is coming. She knows it.

"As many of you know, Canterlot City is one of the few places in Equestria to remain free of the White Plague. Our walls are high and, as of yet, our defences mostly unbreached," says Terra, taking a step closer to the edge of the raised platform. Her mane seems to catch in a wind that isn't there. "I plan on keeping it that way and, thus, enact this new decree. Those suffering from the White Plague are no longer allowed within the walls of this city, Beyond that, they are no longer to be recognized as a living pony. Offer them no help, no shelter, and give them no physical contact. Those who disobey this law will be forced to live in the tained outer world among the rest of the ill."

An image of Scootaloo flickers to Rainbow Dash's mind. The white beginning to smatter her orange muzzle. The wings that will never allow her to reach the clouds. The frost that coats the ground where she walks and the ache in her legs and how she still goes out into the fields every day and works until she is so tired that she can barely move.

Rainbow Dash thinks of her sister and feels faintly sick.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I really, really hope that you guys like this story! I know that this chapter's a touch on the short side, but I felt that you all needed to understand this world a little bit better.

In-put is wanted and loved!

* * *

Before we tread any further into the depths of this tale, there is something that you must know. The land of Equestria may be a peaceful place at present, but it wasn't always so.

More than that, just because a land is waging no wars does not mean that it is free of strife

illness

poverty, and many other unpleasent things. As a singular being, Canterlot is exempt from all of these things. But, as a country, Equestria is riddled with them.

None is more prevalent than the White Plague - a disease born of war and spread through the very earth that the ponies so rely on. This illness is a curse recieved years ago, during a part of our story thatwe have not yet begun to explore, and it still thrives in our world.

There is no way to hide that you have the White Plague. First, your mane begins to turn white and then the frost begins to live in your blood, seep through your hooves, until each step just spreads the winter woven disease deeper into the earth.

The most heart-wrenching part of the White Plague is none of that, though. Instead, it lies in the fact that it lives off of the magick of its unwilling host taking

stealing

sapping away everything that gives them life, until there is nothing but a frozen husk left on the ground. It is truly a treacherous thing and, as of this moment, this second, this chapter...there is no cure.

-x-x-x-

"What are you doing?" demands Rainbow Dash, racing across the floor after her princess. The door to the Grande Ballroom slams shut behind them, echoes through the hall, and yet the princess does not stop.

Fluttershy does not even slow down. When she takes a corner, her bare feet slide on the stone floor. "You heard what mother said, didn't you?"

"Of course I did," breaths Rainbow Dash, taking the same turn as Fluttershy. It's easy to keep up with the younger mare. "I just don't understand why you ran out like this. Or where we're going now!"

Tears prick at the corner of Fluttershy's clear blue eyes, and her chest aches. Princesses of Equis are not often made to run, you see, let alone in a gown meant for a Coronation or with such a heavy burden suddenly on their heart, and this ordeal is a very difficult one to handle.

"Away," Fluttershy finally breaths, the word swallowed up by the still air. "Far away."

-x-x-x-

In this castle there are many, many doors and many, many halls. And yet, it is a very difficult task to find anything plain to wear. Everything is satin and lace and gemstones here, for that is the typical wear of those who live in and freqeunt a kingdom grande as this one.

Our young princess is not known for being the smartest, as that title goes to one of of ice, but she is not dull enough to go through town in a dress of silver crystals and flowing silk and expect to not be recognized. And so she searches and searches for something else, while all the while Rainbow Dash trails behind her and thinks that she and her princess have a very, very full story ahead of them.

Her princess is a stubborn thing, you see. More than that, she is a kind thing, with a heart far too big for her own well being. This will be her downfall.

-x-x-x-

One would think it hard to hide a princess, especially in her own kingdom. And for many, for most, that is the truth. For Fluttershy though, who has never before set foot outside of her castle and is only allowed to partake in few of the events inside, it is an easy realization to miss. All but the hem of her white skirt is hidden away, and the hood hides her pale pink mane.

In fact, to any who look, Fluttershy appears to be nothing more than a traveler, passing through the kingdom of Canterlot for the first time. She is all wide eyes and curiousity, letting her gaze flick slowly over everything.

"Do you even know where you're going?" asks Rainbow Dash, walking ever at her princesses side.

Fluttershy gives a low hum, pauses to look over herself and her companion. They look an unlikely pair, clad in a cloak and a gown, and the sight makes her lips twitch up into the softest of smiles. "I think...I think that we should find the White Witch."

"Excuse me?" demands Rainbow Dash, picking up her pace so that she can swing out in front of Fluttershy, ears back and face drawn into a tight frown. "Okay, I was willing to go along with your little jaunt into the city, but what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about what my mother said," Fluttershy near cries, only for her cheeks to burn red a moment later. She tugs the hood closer to her eyes, gaze resting on the ground. "When I was younger, mother used to tell me that the White Witch was the one who made the plague. So...if I can find her, maybe I can do something."

Rainbow Dash just stares at her for the longest of moments, and she looks both mad and upset and maybe a touch proud all at once, but she doesn't speak. Just stares at Fluttershy.

"I know that I'm not the princess of the Sun or of the Moon...and I'm never going to be Queen..." she trails off for a moment, bites at her lip. "I'm still a princess of Equestria, though, and these are still my people. I have to do something, Dashie."  
The gaurd paws at the ground, and she's still frowning. "You don't know anything about the world outside of the castle."

"No, but you do." Fluttershy offers a hopeful smile, soft and light, just like the waning moon . "And you're coming with me, right?"

Even as the young gaurd speaks, both are surprised at the answer. _Yes_.

-x-x-x-

Again, I must interrupt this tale, for there is something that you should know. You see, the land that you read about is not the land that you and I know. No, in this Once Upon a Time, our cities have fallen and new kingdoms have risen up. At the center of them all is Equestrias, and around it are the kingdoms of Ice, Fire, Forest, and Sun. Further out past even those lush and wonderous lands, other smaller kingdoms can be found - those of Water, Earth, Time, and Shadow.

It is not those lands we visit though, not just yet, for they belong to a different story and a different set of women, each with their own story to tell. Before you can learn of them though, of the princess who rules over a fallen city and of the princess with far too much to prove, you must learn of their Queen.

And before you can do that? First, you must hear the story of finding her.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I'm so glad that everyone seems to like this story so much! I'm so proud of how it's turning out, and have brilliant ideas for the future chapters!

As always, I love to hear input!

* * *

Equestria is large and pale and wonderful, in thought if not in practice. It is a world where steel does not exist and the buildings are made of glass, marble, and crystal. Everything is clean, but it is also harsh, the glow near blinding when the sun is full, and there is nothing to add softness to the land. No green grass or rich dirt, not even a single tree graces the walkway.

Only crystal grows here, in strange blossoms that look like roses but also something like the moon and are quite obviously a thing all on its own.

It are these blossoms, these moon flowers as they are called, that form the first ring of the city. Everything within them belongs to those of rich ancestry and everything beyond them is just a little bit less.

Surrounding this area that is just a touch less, with smaller houses and smaller families, is another ring. This one made of the purest waters, running through a marble pathway and glistening

gleaming

marking the last few feet of Equestria before you reach the Grande Wall - which is made of marble and silver and chips of crystal, catching the sunlight and holding its glow even in the darkest of nights. No one can remember when it was built, or by who, or for what reasons, but it no serves as an entry point where all who enter are checked for the White Plague.

It is this wall that the unlikely duo walk too. Rainbow Dash moves as though the path is familiar to her, and it is, very much so, and Fluttershy looks everything over with the wide and glistening eyes of a child. Everything is new to her and wonderous and Rainbow Dash wants to ask if she can't see the storm brewing here? If she can't see the leery looks that the gaurds are giving them as they approach the checkpoint? If she doesn't realize that this is an unlikely quest, and one they will most likely fail?"

Wants to ask but doesn't, because her job is to follow orders, not ask questions. So the young gaurd leads her charge to the entry point and her gaze is steel and smoke.

One gaurd, nameless and faceless, salutes her. The other, who Rainbow Dash also doesn't know, frowns at Fluttershy.

"Is she with you, captain?" he asks, maybe just a touch reproachful. Most are not allowed to bring guests to and fro without them being checked over.

Rainbow Dash has never stopped and given them the chance before, and she doesn't plan too now. She snorts. "No, I just thought that I would let her follow me all the way out here. Of course she's with me! Now open that gate, soldier!"

The man takes a step towards the gate, then hesitates. "I recieved orders from the Queen this morning to let no one back in after they leave the city, gaurds included. I know that you live in the Outlands, Captain...perhaps you should make this your last trip there, though."

Rainbow Dash's stomach drops. A cold muzzle, pale as moonbeams, rests on her shoulder in what is obviously supposed to be a silent motion of comfort.

And though it wasn't Fluttershy who made the decree, and though she is trying hard to find a way to right her mother's wrongs, Rainbow Dash cannot help but be angry at the young princess.

She could have done something sooner, after all. Could not have waited until this last moment.

Rainbow Dash shakes the muzzle off of her. "Dully noted, soldier. I had already planned on making this my last trip between.

-x-x-x-

The Outlands is a sharp contrast to the inner walls of Equestria. It is still glass and crystal, yes, but the buildings have been allowed to fall into disrepair. Dust and dirt coats everything, swept up in one of the many wind storms that blow through and deminishing the glow that is seen within the main walls. There are a few gardens of moon roses beneath windows, but most everything is wilted and frozen and white

even the sand

even the air

even the sky seems to have turned as white as snow, or maybe pale as the moon, and it casts a cool glow over the world.

"Are these the Fabled Lands?" questions Fluttershy, padding behind Rainbow Dash. Her hooves are still bare, and yet the cold does not bother them. Isn't even felt.

Rainbow Dash snorts, flattens her ears until they are buried in her multi-colored mane. Like most, she very much feels the frost laden wind. More so than usual, with this sleeveless gown on. Within moments, her forelegs have grown numb.

"Don't be stupid. This is the Outlands," answers Dravon, leading her princess down a turn, into a street that is far more narrow. The wind picks up, trying to rip at Rainbow Dash's updone mane. "I'm not leaving on some quest with you and not stopping at my house first."

Fluttershy doesn't say anything for a long moment then, rolling everything over in her mind. Thinking and debating and trying to remember, but her mother and her teachers have always painted a different picture of the Outlands. One with a bright sky and rich grass and nature abound, where ponies worked in the fields not for a living, but simply because it is what they want to do.

That, thinks Fluttershy, is most certainly not the case here. Which is either very odd or not odd at all, depending on the light that Queen Terra is painted in that day. Pursing her lips together, Fluttershy trots forward, coming to a stop in front of her gaurd

almost says all of those things

that she didn't know this was the state her people, her friend was forced to live in

that she would have done something sooner if she had

that she is sorry

all of those things or more, but Rainbow Dash frowns at her, and all of those things die in Fluttershy's throat.

Later, she decides, those things will be said. For now, she just dips her head and lets Rainbow Dash take the lead once more.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hello! Before we get too far into this little note, I would like to thank Twi of TwiLanes for all of the help and encouragment that she's given me! She's an amazing person and if somepony could vote on her poll for me, it would be greatly appreciated!

And now onto notes for this! It's a chapter that really stumped me for a while, but I think I have my flow back. Chapters should come quicker now!

* * *

They walk through the Outlands for what seems like forever, and as they walk they stay very, very silent. Fluttershy finds that nothing seems appropriate to say and Rainbow Dash is far too lost in her own thoughts to speak.

She is starting to rethink this decision of hers, to leave her home and go on a journey - for surely this journey shall become a quest, and quests, as everyone knows, are long and perilous things most befitting of other sorts of gaurds.

There are as many types of gaurd as there are types of princess, you see, and a gaurd of the ice will spend their whole lives on a quest, always searching for more knowledge. A gaurd of the forest lives each day as though it was a quest, always trying to outbest the world around them. A gaurd of the sun would love a quest, for that is just another way that they can shine. A gaurd of the fire would never turn down a quest, for any adventure is a good one to them.

Rainbow Dash though, she is a gaurd of the people, and has always been content to simply protect those around her by being ever close.

As such, the idea of a quest is daunting, especially as she is not quite as close to her princess as other gaurds might be. Doubt is a heavy thing on one's mind, and uncertainty can sway even the bravest of ponies, but the small house that she calls home is rising into view and those worries are brushed aside when the front door is swung open.

The pony that greets her is a small thing, still just a babe, with orange fur and wide eyes and a smattering of white around her muzzle and fetlocks. Two wings, frail and petite, are tucked tight to the filly's side and her mane is pulled back with a white cloth - a sign that she is both finished work for the day and that she is less than the ponies of Canterlot, with their fancy clothes and safe jobs.

"Rainbow Dash," calls the filly, trotting outside and down the white, white pathway.

A fond smile crosses Rainbow Dash's face, ears flicking forward in greeting. "Hey, Scott. I wasn't expecting to see you home so early."

It's a statement, yes, but an unspoken question hangs in the air like a heavy cloud. One that young Scootaloo ignores. "I wasn't expecting you home this early either. Especially not with a guest."

And for the briefest of moments, Rainbow Dash is caught off gaurd. She had not thought out what she would say once they reached this question, though it is one that she most certainly should have expected. Her mouth opens and her words are fumbled and, much to her surprise, the cloaked princess steps in front of her and dips into a low bow.

"My name is Rabbit," says Fluttershy, softly. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Scootaloo. Your big sister has told me a lot about you."

"She has?" questions Scootaloo, taken a back.

Rainbow Dash blinks and can offer no answers, for she cannot remember any stories told, just a brief mention of the filly that was told in passing.

"Oh yes," assures Fluttershy, who we shall call Rabbit from this point onwards, for that is the name that she has chosen. "And I've wanted to meet you for a while."

-x-x-x-

I'm afraid that we must leave our dear princess and gaurd now, and move to a chapter of the story that takes place far, far away. East of Canterlot and just past the final border of the Fabled Lands, where the terrain grows rough and tall. Here a different kind of snow falls, one that does not hold the warmth of the sun or the beauty of the moon, but the ferocity of a mother scorned and a lover lost, as it rages constantly, covering the land in a frozen fury.

Here, in this land, on the tallest peak and nestled against one of the largest ledges, sits a castle. Its walls are made of ice and glass, catching the light of the sun and then turning it away, onto the rest of the white covered mountain, and the parapets stretch high into the sky. The halls of this castle are little more than a frost laden maze and deep inside of them, where few creatures venture, is a mare.

With a coat of sky and a mane of ice, this mare rules over the mountain all on her own. Much like our dear Fluttershy has chosen to go by the name of Rabbit, this queen of all things Winter has chosen to leave behind her true name, instead answering solely to the title of White Witch.

The White Witch stands alone in her bedchambers now, as she so often does, and gazes into her mirror. There she sees not her reflection but the image of a unicorn mare, with a white coat and purple mane, who bites on her lower lip and looks oh so worried.

"Rarity," says the White Witch, and fog fills the air with each breath. "It has been a long time since you last contacted me. Tell me, what news do you bring?"

"Nothing good, my Lady," answers the unicorn. Her voice splits and echoes, like a scratched record. "I really don't want to have to be the one to tell you this but...Queen Terra has forsaken everyone who so much as /looks/ like they might have the Plague! It's absolutely dreadful!"

A snort, and the White Witch shakes her head. When she speaks, there is distress in her words and anxiety in her eyes. "She has always been so quick to act, but the fact that she would do this...what of the princesses? Of Fluttershy?"

"I wasn't able to get close to them," says Rarity, apologetically. "But she has chosen Celestia as next in line for the throne."

And it hurts to hear that, but the White Witch is not surprised. Instead, she closes her eyes and wills away the voices that filter through the ice and into her mind. "Then it has begun. Do you remember what to do?"

"Of course, my Lady," assures Rarity. She pauses then, for just a moment, as though there is a question on the tip of her tongue, but never asks it. Instead, she dips her head and allows her magic to fade, her image vanishing with it. "Just wish me all of the luck that you can."


End file.
